Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calgary and Wels

For one person, living is cheaper in Wels: $1,885 a month against $2,223 in Calgary, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Calgary
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Calgary Living Index
92

Cost of Living Index in Wels
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Wels Living Index

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Calgary

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,223

/mo nomad

Wels

🇦🇹 Austria

$1,885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Calgary and in Wels

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Calgary and in Wels actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,223 in Calgary versus $1,885 in Wels.

Calgary $2,223
Wels $1,885

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in Calgary versus $2,801 in Wels.

Calgary $3,301
Wels $2,801

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,379 in Calgary versus $3,717 in Wels.

Calgary $4,379
Wels $3,717

Living in Calgary is roughly 18% more expensive than in Wels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Calgary 65% above, Wels 40% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.22 CA$24.34

$16.47 €14.65

4.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.1 CA$100

$83.3 €74.1

-14.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.53 CA$14.89

$11.32 €10.07

-6.98%

Cappuccino

$3.66 CA$5.18

$4.27 €3.79

-14.29%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 CA$2.80

$3.38 €3.01

-41.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.98 €2.65

-34.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.95 CA$7.00

$5.44 €4.84

-9.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.57 CA$7.87

$5.42 €4.82

2.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 CA$2.65

$1.51 €1.35

24.50%

White Bread (500g)

$2.67 CA$3.78

$2.41 €2.14

10.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.32 CA$7.52

$1.73 €1.54

207.51%

Eggs

$3.79 CA$5.35

$3.84 €3.42

-1.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.09 CA$15.68

$21.73 €19.33

-48.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.36 CA$16.05

$12.85 €11.43

-11.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.40 CA$26.01

$21.77 €19.36

-15.48%

Apples (1kg)

$4.56 CA$6.45

$2.98 €2.65

53.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.04

$1.77 €1.57

-18.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.76

$2.72 €2.42

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.89 CA$5.50

$2.81 €2.50

38.43%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$2.52 €2.24

4.76%

Onion (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.73

$1.63 €1.45

61.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.50 CA$3.54

$2.26 €2.01

10.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$0.75 €0.67

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.05 CA$19.86

$7.51 €6.68

87.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.70 CA$22.20

$8.94 €7.95

75.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.45

$0.80 €0.71

205.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 CA$4.37

$2.19 €1.95

41.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.99

$2.70 €2.40

4.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$88.6 CA$125

$38.48 €34.23

130.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.12 CA$4.41

$5.63 €5.01

-44.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$2.34 €2.08

-42.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.02 CA$38.20

$30.71 €27.32

-12.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.16 CA$1.64

$1.79 €1.59

-35.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$27.9K CA$39.5K

$30.7K €27.3K

-9.15%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$20.3K CA$28.8K

$30.2K €26.9K

-32.63%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$161 CA$227

$333 €296

-51.74%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$38.13 CA$53.9

$13.71 €12.19

178.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.0 CA$70.7

$37.38 €33.25

33.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.8

$45.43 €40.41

13.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.14 CA$25.64

$33.27 €29.59

-45.48%

Cinema Ticket

$13.82 CA$19.54

$13.64 €12.13

1.32%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$786 CA$1,111

$1,336 €1,189

-41.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.5K CA$21.8K

$15.8K €14.0K

-2.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$82.4

$82.5 €73.4

-29.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$55.5

$59.2 €52.7

-33.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.8 CA$127

$111 €98.9

-19.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$155

$123 €110

-10.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,229 CA$1,737

$676 €601

81.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,001 CA$1,415

$550 €489

82.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,921 CA$2,716

$935 €832

105.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,621 CA$2,292

$791 €704

104.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,549 CA$5,018

$4,158 €3,698

-14.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,335 CA$4,715

$3,425 €3,047

-2.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,165 CA$4,474

$3,072 €2,733

3.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.51

3.5

28.86%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Calgary: October 13, 2026

Last update for Wels: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Calgary

$1K 45%

Wels

$550 29.2% 45.1% $451

Groceries & Markets

Calgary

$385 17.3%

Wels

$362 19.2% 6.1% $23

Eating Out

Calgary

$265 11.9%

Wels

$280 14.9% 5.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calgary

$249 11.2%

Wels

$384 20.4% 54.3% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Calgary

$134 6%

Wels

$169 9% 26.6% $36

Getting Around

Calgary

$110 4.9%

Wels

$67 3.5% 39.3% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Calgary

$79 3.6%

Wels

$73 3.9% 8.1% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,229 in Calgary and $676 in Wels. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Calgary pays 3% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $71.0 in Calgary vs $83.0 in Wels. Groceries flip the comparison at $385 vs $362, with Wels cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Calgary

🇦🇹 Wels

🕒 Local time

11:15 11:15 AM

19:15 7:15 PM

8 h ahead of Calgary

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,267,344

59,853

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Calgary Wels 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Calgary
Wels

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Calgary vs Wels: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Wels is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and utilities. The 18% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 3% higher in Calgary, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,229 in Calgary versus $676 in Wels. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Wels – a meal for two runs $83.0 versus $71.0 in Calgary. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $2,223 per month in Calgary versus $1,885 in Wels – a 18% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $1,885 in Wels versus $2,223 in Calgary, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Wels but tight or insufficient in Calgary. The gap between the two cities makes Wels the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Calgary and Wels are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Wels gentler on the wallet – expenses run 18% less than in Calgary. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.